Turks And Cacios islands

**rock hopper** · 07-11-2005, 21:40

hi there i will be going to visit my dad some time soon in the turks and cacios islands (provo) to be precise?has any one fished there and wat was it like ????r

rh

**PanamaJack** · 08-11-2005, 09:39

There's excellent Bonefish fishing on the flats, with some very big fish. Unfortunately the local guides are a tad on the pricey side. I suppose it's in no small part due to the presence of so many wealthy Americans on the island. The market rules!

Offshore, if you're going soon, I suspect the focus will be on Wahoo.

**rock hopper** · 08-11-2005, 15:51

my dad has got a boat and i was thinking of goin near the mangroves there with rapalas and the like !do u think thatll work?

rh

**PanamaJack** · 09-11-2005, 09:46

Hi Rock Hopper
Apart from being a nursery area for fry the mangroves also contain masses of crustacea and shellfish. And they're a magnet for the Bonefish on an making tide.

If the mangroves aren't too dense you can follow them in - wading -and target them with either bait or a fly. You'd really need to wear flats wading boots to protect your feet against the odd lumps of dead coral and shells. Also shuffle rather than picking your feet up - stingrays love that warm shallow water.

Your best chances though will come as soon as the tide starts to ebb, they'll come streaming out of the mangroves. Position yourself in mid-calf to mid-thigh deep water with a decent pair of polaroids and cap with a good peak to aid spotting. As well as Bones you might find the odd small shark in that shallow water, but they're not interested in you. And even if they try and target a hooked Bonefish just slap your hand on the surface to spook them.

In the somewhat deeper areas - the locals often call them 'creeks' - where the water flows off the shallows - 'flats' - around the mangroves you should also encounter things called Mangrove Snapper. They'll take bait, or strike at smallish surface poppers. But you've got to get the cast really close to the cover. It worth an initial few practice casts the mangroves don't give up hooks too easily!

If your dad's 'comfortable' getting on the 'flats' you're also likely to encounter cruising Barracuda. Some can be quite big! I've had most success casting things called tube lures at them. They're a foot long piece of surgical tubing, normally red, with a weight at the head end and equipped with a couple of trebles. Rapala type lures also work but, unless you're trolling, you'll need to take the lip off. The technique is to cast 20' or so in front of them and wind literally as fast as you can. And don't slow down!

The locals love eating Barracuda even though they're, especially if they've been feeding on reef fish, possibly carrying ciguatera - a strong nerve toxin for us humans. Another use for them, from your dad's boat, might be to anchor in one of the channels, 'butterfly' it - creating two fillets still attached to the head and fish for sharks. Sharks love Barracuda and will often come right up to the boat in their efforts to grab it.

Along the reef edge you might be able to bottom fish or jig - either with or without bait - for Snapper and smallish Grouper.

As I mentioned in my earlier post offshore, in the winter, the focus would be on Wahoo and the game boats would have their own specialist gear. Some now with wire lines, planers and 'high speed' lures will troll at 12, up to 15 or 18 knots.

I hope that's given you some insight as to what to expect and what (fogether with the PM) you'll need in terms of tackle.

Hope it all goes well. And make sure you post an update after your trip.
Dave

**rock hopper** · 09-11-2005, 19:50

well were going in the summer myself, bass buster and cod king.last time i went i had a 9lb snapper off the botton on a reef about 2-3 miles out.my dads got a small open topped boat which probably be ables to cruise close into mangroves and onto the flats so well hopefully be getting some action

rh

**PanamaJack** · 09-11-2005, 20:22

Hi Rock Hopper
Ah, my misunderstanding I assumed when you said 'soon' you meant, well, soon.

The flats heat up very quickly during the summer therefore you'd need to target the Bones either first thing or during the evening. They obviously still feed but, during the heat of the day, you'd find them in the deeper water on the edge of the flats in probably 5' plus of water. There're you'd be looking for larger shoals 'mudding' - they're grubbing on the bottom and you'd see areas of surface discolouration downtide from them. At that time they're no where near as spooky.

As well during the spring and summer months mangroves equal mosquitos! Make sure you take advice on what course of anti-malarial tablets to take. DEET deters them but try, if possible, to also wear a long sleeved shirt and trousers - less places for them to bite. 'No see ums' - minute flies can also be a real irritant in that hour before it gets dark.
Dave

**rock hopper** · 12-11-2005, 22:09

thanks for the info panama jack!

do you no of any outhers species thats are abit easiers 2 catch and that grow quite big?like snapper and barracuda?how would i catch theese and how??

rh

**PanamaJack** · 13-11-2005, 13:38

Hi Rock Hopper
Bonefish can be really spooky, but I have literally caught one in ankle deep water when they're focused on a shrimp pattern fly literally 18' away - the length of the tippet and a 9' rod. There it had its tail fin and back out of the water! But you've got to crouch to keep yourself out of their cone of vision and keep quiet.

That all said a lot of it is basic water craft that you and your friends should soon pick up. And once you've mastered it and caught one you may well find that it's much more exciting than 'bottom bouncing'. Those 100 yard plus runs in really shallow water are, believe me, something else.

Any way back to the 'bottom bouncing'. There’s an operation – Silverdeep – on Providenciales that arranges reef fishing trips for Snapper and Grouper. I’d certainly suggest that you go out with a skipper, certainly for the first time, but then consider self-guided either with your dad’s or one of their hire craft. Here’s the url that will show you the type of fish on offer - http://www.silverdeep.com/fishing/bottomfishing.htm .

Also, in case it’s of any help, here’s a couple of further links. This one is a generalist one, and also covers offshore fishing - http://www.wherewhenhow.com/COVERSTORIES/June02.html. The Blue Marlin aren’t overly large and take the observations about Sailfish and White Marlin with the proverbial ‘pinch of salt’ – most are probably going to be in the 50 to 60lb range. This other one talks about fly fishing for Bonefish - http://www.bahamasflyfishingguide.com/turkscaicos.html
- but what you can catch on a fly you can on bait or a small jig.

Post again if you need any information on the type of tackle to take.
Dave

**rock hopper** · 14-11-2005, 21:34

silver deep looks good but its really exsoensive! $ 145 for half a day!but its given me and insite on how good the fising is there!

rh

**PanamaJack** · 15-11-2005, 09:01

That was my view as well Rock Hopper. Even by Caribbean standards though they're expensive, but unfortunately the Turks & Caicos are popular with the 'well-heeled' and the rules of the 'Market' take over.

And that's not all. As well as the fishing licence the norm would be to tip the guide anything between 10 and 15% of the charter fee.

My reason for suggesting the guided option for 'day 1', before you reverted to your dad's boat, was that you'd quickly pick up essential information on techniques and marks.

I still think you'll have just as much fun sight casting for Bonefish. Even walking along a quiet beach, just before dark you're going to spot them 'waking', a bit like Mullet, in really shallow water. Or occasionally you'll spot them 'tailing' - tails waving away above the surface. Bones as well have a very attuned sense of smell and respond to groundbaiting. I've only used pieces of shrimp in the Florida Keys, but conch or crushed crab will, I'm sure, also work.
Dave